Tar mop



INVENTOR. V/L am 7 E. F//v/r W. E. FlNK Dec. l0, 1957 TAR MOP Filed Aug. 12, 1952 United States Patent.

TAR MOP Wilbert E. Fink, Cleveland, Ohio Application August 12, 1952, Serial No. 303,954

4 Claims.` (Cl. )Q5-229) p housing for receiving a double-np bunch of Vcotton or like yarn, the yarn being held in saidhousing as by means of a U-shaped wire which has its upperY ends extended' through openings in said bell-shaped housing and bent. This type of mop when use d for applying hot tar or roof cement on roofs and Walls lasts about one day and in many instances, one workman will require two such mops eachl day; and, therefore, the short life of such a mop involves considerable expense not only for new yarn, but also for time and wages spent in removing the used bunch of yarn and to install a new bunch in the housing.

Although it is known that glasstibers are essentially non-absorbent andhave good tar holding capacity when bunched together and are otherwise superior to cotton yarn, difficulty has been encountered in the fastening thereof into mop heads owing to shrinkage by hot tar; and with the presently used type of tar mop aforesaid, said glass strands pull out in bunches and individually. In order to eliminate these diiculties, it has been proposed to prefabricate skeins of glass yarn by sewing, wiring, or taping together; but this has proved to be too expensive and unsatisfactory with respect to the holding of the individual glass strands against pulling out. As aforesaid, when using glass ber in tar mops, the heated tar causes shrinkage of the bers whereby iirml clamping thereof, as for example, between screw-threaded clamping elements affords no solution to the problem because of the loosening caused by shrinkage.

lt is, therefore, one principal object of the present invention to provide a tar mop which, regardless of the material used for the mop unit, effectively and economically eliminates the foregoing diiculties.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tar mop which includes a pluralityof superimposed mop units comprising clamped bunches of stranded material and which is so formed that the bottom and innermost mop unit, which is subject to the greatest wear, may be readily removed and replaced by a new unit assembled from the top so as to provide fresh stranded material on the outside of the mop unit.

It is another object of this invention to provide a tar mop which includes a resilient clamping device which maintains a substantially constant clamping pressure on the one or more mop units clamped thereby, irrespective of shrinkage of the stranded material as in the case of glass yarn.

It is another object of this invention to provide a tar mop in which the separate mop units are each of simple form which may be prefabricated or which may be easily made up on location; and in the latter instance, it is only necessary for the workman to separate a skein of yarn into bunches for securing the bunches to a retaining memice 2v ber in a particular' way so as to obtain the desiredl fullness and uniformity and adequate'resistance against pulling out of either the bunches of the yarn' or oflthe individual strands thereof.`

Other objects and advantages of this invention. will appear as therfollowing description proceeds. 4

Tothe accomplishment of the foregoing andrelat'e'd ends, the invention comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail an illustrative' embodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of vbut oneof'the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

ln said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1V is a side elevation view of a tar mop embodying the present improvements;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse cross-section view taken substantially alongthe line 2 2, Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a'A longitudinal cross-section view taken substantially along the line 3 3, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-section view taken substantially along the line 4 4, Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-section View taken substantially along the line 5 5, Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is` a fragmentary plan view ofa mop unitV retaining ring showing a preferred manner of securing one of several bunches of stranded material thereto; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view vshowing another way of securing one of several bunches of'stranded material'to a retaining ring.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and first to the form of mop illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, the mop head 1 is shown as comprising telescoped tubular members 2 and 3, the inner one 2 of which is provided with a series of axially spaced apertures 4 laterally therethrough and the other one 3 of which is provided with a swingable key 5 which is pivoted to the ange 6 at the lower end of said outer member 3 and which has'an upper bent end 7 which passes through an opening 8 in the wall of said outer member 3 into one ofthe series of axially spaced apertures 4 in'said inner member 2. As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the reduced lower end of said key 5 extends loosely through an opening 9 in said flange 6 and the legs 10 ofthe lower bifurcatedend of said key are spread apart so as to retain said k-ey from disassembly While permitting swinging thereof.

A mop handle lll is fitted into the upperl end of said outer member 3 and is secured thereto by suitable means such as a rivet or bolt 12.

Detachably secured in telescoped relation to the lower end of said inner member 2 is a flanged tubular member 13 which has a pin 14 diametrically thereacross fitting into a bayonet typerslot 15 formed in the lower end of said inner member. Thus, when said hangedy tubular member 13 is attached to said inner member 2, the-flange 16 thereof will be opposite to the flange 6 of said outer member 3.

The flange 6 of said outer member 3 has spring retainer lios 17 struck therefrom retaining one end of a coil comssion spring 18 which in the case of tar mops, will L ferably be made of chrome-vanadium steel or like hightemperature resistant steel or other material which will not lose its resilience at moderate elevated temperatures encountered in this or similar uses.

The iiange i6 of said member 13 is formed with upstanding lips 19 for imbedding into the stranded material et the mop units 20 to preclude rotation of the latter relative to the mop head 1.

As shown in Fig. 3, several mop units 20 are positioned on the said ange 16 (preferably five) when applying hot tar or roof cement and after said mop units 20 have been thus positioned in superimposed relation, the handle 11 may then be pushed down to cause resilient gripping of the saidV units by spring 18, the key being then swung inwardly through the registering or next .lowest aperture 4 of said inner member Z to thereby lock the mop for use.

With several mop units 20 thus resiliently clamped, the stranded material will hang down somewhat as shown in Fig. 1 and when the mop is pulled out of the tar bucket, the lower end portions of the stranded material will be drawn together to form a void space for holding tar there- 1n.

The mop units 20 just referred to each comprise a continuous annular ring 21 and bunches 22 of the stranded material (cotton, nylon or other plastic, fiberglass, asbestos or the like) are doubled and the free ends are passed around said ring 21 and through the loop whereby the bunches of stranded material are double looped in the manner best shown in Fig. 6. The foregoing knot or double loop is a common expedient in other arts and is sometimes referred to as a Riggers Loop and as evident, this knot closely resembles an anchor knot or fishermens bend except for the disposition of the ends of the double bunches of the stranded material in parallel vrelation without further tying at the loop. As best shown in Fig. 2, the bunches 22 of the stranded material will be secured circumferentially around said ring 21. The stranded material as used in tar mop is usually of 32-inch length and a one-pound skein of glass liber for example, will be divided into about eight bundles 22 for each mop unit 20.

With this form of mop unit 20, any shrinkage of the bunches 22 of stranded material will effect a tightening of the knot or double loop around ring 21; and, in addition, the constant pressure exerted by coil spring 1S will firmly retain the bunches of stranded material in frictional and nesting engagement and thereby further resist pulling out of bunches or individual strands.

After the mop has been used for some time, the bottom mop unit 20 will have become worn and at this time, the key 5 may be unlatched and the outer member 3 lifted 0E. The member 13 is then shifted upwardly, rotated, and dropped down through the bayonet slot so that said bottom mop unit may be removed. A new mop unit 20 may then be slipped down on the top unit whereby the fresh yarn will be disposed on the outside of the mop as is desired.

In the form of the mop unit, fragmentarily illustrated in Fig. 7, bunches 23 of stranded material are tied in the middle in an overhand or like knot, doubled, and positioned in circumferentially adjacent relation around and between a pair of continuous annular rings 24 with the knots on the inside. Said rings 24 may be stapled, riveted, or otherwise secured together to hold the knotted and donbled bunches 23 of yarn.

Thus, it is practically impossible to pull the bunches 23 of the stranded material because of the enlargement formed by the knot and likewise individual strands cannot be pulled because of the knot and the frictional clamping by rings 24, especially the knot when the latter has been shrunk by the hot tar or roofing cement.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention: f

1. In a mop head, the combination of a clamping device adapted to be attached to the lower end of a mop handle, said clamping device comprising a bottom member provided with a radial flange and an upstanding center portion, a top member telescoped over such center portion, and means separably connecting together said top and bottom members with the former spaced above said liange; an annular mop unit positioned around such center portion and supported by said flange, said mop unit comprising an annular retainer, and an annular series of bunches of stranded material coupled to and positioned around said retainer, each said bunch being doubled and knotted to resist pulling out thereof and of individual strands from said retainer; and spring means bearing against said top member and yon said mop unit to press the latter against said flange;.'saidmembers being separable from each other to enable installation and replacement of said mop unit'.

2. The mop head of claim 1 wherein each bunch of stranded material is double-looped about said retainer.

3. The mop'head of claim 1 wherein each bunch of stranded material is formed with a knot at one end, and said retainer comprises a pair of annular rings secured together to clampV said knotted, doubled bunches therebetween with theknots disposed inside said rings.

4. A mop unit for tar mops comprising an annular retainer, and aseries of bunches of glass fibers all coupled to and uniformly disposed relative to said retainer, each bunch being doubled and formed with a knot at one end for engagement with said retainer to effectively resist pulling out of said bunches and of individual fibers from said retainer, said retainer comprising a pair of annular rings secured to clamp said knotted, doubled bunches therebetween withthe knots disposed inside said rings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 121,955 Moore et al Dec. 19, 1871 277,097 Abbe May 8, 1883 1,073,612 Lockhart Sept. 23, 1913 1,430,988 Harris Oct. 3, 1922 1,576,203 Maeda Mar. 9, 1926 1,645,043 Dixon et al Oct. 11, 1927 2,122,164 Van Buskirk June 28, 1938 2,658,802 Stahel Nov. 10, 1953 2,671,922 Lower et al Mar. 16, 1954 2,724,138 Ballinger Nov. 22, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 122,891 Great Britain Feb. 5, 1918 222,655 Great Britain Oct. 9, 1924 

